Under the Willow Nursery

Montessori materials indoors, gardening outside and weekly Forest School sessions from age two give Under the Willow Nursery a clear identity. Its purpose-built premises in Dulwich combine direct outdoor access from classrooms with an approach that lets children choose learning materials and explore them with adult guidance. The practical appeal is the connection between what children handle, grow and discover.

At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is a dated assessment, rather than a substitute for understanding the current day. There are 37 places in total, with a current age range from birth to five; the childcare offer starts at three months.

Two day patterns are offered, alongside a three-day minimum attendance requirement. This is a nursery for families wanting a substantial weekly routine, with outdoor learning and Montessori activities built into it.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room timetable combines work cycles with songs, stories, garden time and regular care routines. Breakfast leads into activity periods, while milk and sleep follow lunch; some babies also have naps in the morning and afternoon. For parents of younger children, the useful detail is that sleep features explicitly in the day rather than being treated as an interruption to it.

Classrooms connect directly to the outdoor area, and outdoor play takes place daily, including in different weather conditions. This gives children opportunities to move between indoor activities and physical exploration outside. The building uses a heat pump for heating and hot water, while rainwater drains into a soakaway. Sustainability also reaches everyday nursery practice through repairing and reusing items, recycling food waste and using GreenBottoms for nappy recycling.

Learning and Activities

Montessori here means learning through specially designed materials, with children choosing activities and making discoveries under adult guidance. Practical Life activities develop hand control and everyday independence; globes, flags and puzzle maps introduce geography. These are tangible resources for children to work with, rather than an approach expressed only in broad educational language.

Alongside Montessori, the EYFS covers children's development through experiences such as sharing, listening to stories, making marks, exploring shapes and moving their bodies. It is the common early-years framework. Montessori supplies the nursery's particular way of organising some of that learning, rather than replacing the framework.

The Montessori Work Cycle includes individual and group presentations, themed activities and preparation for school. Baking takes place on Monday afternoons, with Wednesday music sessions providing singing, instruments and movement. Tuesday football is for children aged two and above, with activities adapted for different ages. The week therefore brings several ways to learn: handling materials, making food, responding to music and practising movement.

In January 2022, younger children explored sea-animal toys alongside water and cornflour, while preschool children's interest in planets led to model-making and games. Another activity invited preschool children to predict whether objects would float or sink. These examples show how children's interests and questions shaped activity planning at that time, with conversation running alongside practical exploration.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds child-led outdoor exploration, opportunities to make choices and practice in judging risks. From age two, children attend weekly sessions at School Outdoors Dulwich, the sister nursery within Herne Hill Velodrome. Children walk there or travel in buggies. The relationship supplies a specific outdoor setting for these sessions.

Fortnightly visits to Wimbledon Common and Holland Park extend that outdoor programme, with activities including noticing seasonal changes, observing insects and wildlife, and learning to handle real tools safely. In the nursery garden, children grow herbs, fruit and vegetables and pick produce for the chef. Growing something and then seeing it used in a meal makes the link between gardening and food concrete.

Community trips also include ordinary city experiences: posting letters, buying fruit and visiting the fire station. Past destinations include Dulwich Picture Gallery, Vauxhall City Farm and The Science Museum. These are examples of previous outings, rather than a fixed schedule of future visits.

Relationships and Communication

A key person works with families, drawing on parents' contributions to children's starting assessments and encouraging information about learning at home. This gives parents a defined relationship through which to discuss their child's development. It also makes home interests useful material for nursery planning.

Famly, the nursery's communication app, carries photographs, videos and updates, alongside direct messaging. Parents can use it to change permissions, report sickness or holidays and pay invoices. Communication therefore includes both the child's day and the practical administration that families need to manage.

Each term, project celebrations invite parents to see children's work. Other family events include a Father's day breakfast, a messy play event and world culture day. A Graduation ceremony marks the move to primary school. These occasions create opportunities to share learning and recognise the end of nursery life, without implying an admissions advantage elsewhere.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children had close relationships with adults and other children, that support addressed the needs of children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, and that children made progress towards their next stage of learning. These findings belong to that inspection period. Current outdoor arrangements include adapting access for children with learning difficulties or disabilities where possible and appropriate.

In January 2022, settling procedures had been adapted to support children starting nursery or returning after an absence. The same month's improvement priorities concerned babies spending too long waiting between activities and meals, and preschool children having uneven opportunities to act independently during adult-led activities. These are practical issues: the organisation of routines and the amount children can do for themselves both affect the everyday experience.

A full-time chef prepares fresh meals on site, using a seasonal rotating menu. The nursery has a nut-free policy and accommodates dietary requirements; allergy-affected families should discuss current arrangements for their child, rather than treating the policy label as sufficient detail.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 198A Croxted Road, London, SE21 8NW. Monday to Friday, families can book the standard day from 8am to 6pm or the extended day from 7.30am to 6.30pm. The minimum pattern is three days a week. Both options span the working day, with the extended session providing earlier and later care.

The nursery operates for 50 weeks each year. Closures include two weeks at Christmas, public and bank holidays, and three inset days. These closures need to sit alongside parents' own work calendars when assessing the annual childcare arrangement.

An enquiry form starts contact with the nursery, followed by an email to arrange a visit. Registration involves forms, terms and conditions, a deposit and registration or settling charges. Start dates cannot be deferred, and a waiting-list fee is non-refundable. These are booking commitments to weigh alongside the attendance pattern.

Getting There

Herne Hill railway station connects with the City and West End and is a ten-minute walk away; the No. 3 & 201 bus stop is across the road. Buggy storage and space for bicycles and scooters make these practical alternatives for families travelling without a car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use 15-hour or 30-hour funding, with arrangements covering younger children as well as preschool ages. Funding is stretched across the year, and hours taken beyond the funded allocation are charged separately. Eligibility remains a condition, including reconfirmation for the 30-hour scheme.

Meals and snacks are included in private prices. On funded days, meal charges are voluntary and parents may provide packed meals instead; milk and water carry no charge. Parents supply nappies, wipes and creams, including for funded attendance, so those items remain part of the family's preparation for nursery.

Baking, Music, Football, Gardening and Forest School are included in private fees. Classes are optional on funded days, with voluntary class charges, while extra outings may attract separate charges where appropriate. A funded place therefore needs to be considered alongside the chosen meals, activities and additional hours.

Deposits are non-refundable if the child does not start, and are refundable on leaving after attendance of at least 12 months. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding terms explain the charge categories.

• Babies' routines and preschool independence. The January 2022 improvement priorities addressed waiting before meals and opportunities for children to do things independently. During a visit, ask how current routines handle these two issues and how settling is tailored to a new child.
• A substantial attendance commitment. The usual minimum is three days, with standard and extended day options. Flexibility is offered for funded-only places; discuss the intended funded attendance pattern before committing.
• Funding and upfront terms. Funded-day meals and classes have voluntary charges, and registration involves payments with refund conditions. Review the written quotation and terms together, especially if there is any chance the start date will change.
• Dietary care and the visit. The nut-free policy and dietary provision need to work for the individual child. Discuss allergy procedures with staff and bring photo ID, which is required for the visit.

Under the Willow suits families who want Montessori materials, regular outdoor exploration and a weekly rhythm that includes music, gardening, baking and sport. The standard 8am to 6pm day and extended 7.30am to 6.30pm day serve different working schedules, while the three-day minimum makes the nursery a substantial part of the child's week.

The strongest practical combination is direct classroom access outdoors, weekly Forest School from age two and a key person relationship supported by Famly. The dated Good judgement provides useful context, but the decision should also turn on how the current baby routines, preschool independence and funded-day choices fit the family.